The historic former St. Patrick's Church in Lewiston could become a venue for weddings and other large events if the city approves a request to change the property's zoning.

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Andrew Knight of Arlington, Va. is asking the Lewiston Planning Board to approve a conditional rezoning of the property at 220 Bates St. and 1 Walnut St. Knight filed the request on Jan. 22, according to documents filed with the city of Lewiston's Code Enforcement and Planning Department.

According to the documents, Knight signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland last November to buy both the church and the nearby rectory. Knight provided a copy of the agreement to the city, with the purchase price redacted, when he submitted his zoning change request. The purchase and sales agreement states that the sale will be completed on Friday.

In his letter to the city, Knight said rezoning the property from a Downtown Residential District to the Centreville zoning district would "allow the property to be utilized productively and efficiently as a successful commercial property, particularly a large events venue specializing in weddings and conference."

The new zoning would also allow the property to be used as a restaurant or a hotel, Knight said.

Built in the 1880s, St. Patrick's Church closed in October 2009 as a result of declining revenues.

The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed zoning change on Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Lewiston City Hall.